I Love You in More Ways Than One
by Lollipop1141
Summary: Keith admits that he never really had a family. Lance stares at him, contemplatively. It then clears with a smile as he grasps his shoulder and says cheerfully, "Then share mine." /Keith & Lance. Set before Kolia appearance


"I don't really have a family." Keith mumbles. "I mean, I've got Shiro, but that's it."

Lance stares at him, contemplatively. It then clears with a smile as he grasps his shoulder and says cheerfully, "Then share mine."

Keith stills. He feels warmth flooding throughout as he takes in what he has just heard.

"What?" His voice comes out in a husky whisper.

Lance continues smiling at him, as though it was normal to offer your friend a family. "Why not? I have so many family members, I don't think anyone would mind having two or three more at all. You'd like my cousin. Rodrigo is just like you. He likes space and is currently in an emo phase. Although he's 14. Rachel is my twin and she's basically me but less awesome."

Lance sees his disbelief and carries on. "My mom would love you. She likes challenges, especially kids who're kinda lacking on the love department - not saying that you aren't loved, cause we all love you, dude. But like, my mom would shower you with so much affection and food you'll never know what it's like to be starved of love again. Seriously, she's like a bigger ball of sunshine than Hunk. You'll love her and she'll love you more."

As he rambles on, Keith can do nothing but stare and stare. He cannot fathom how it is to have siblings, much more, a mother. He knows he has - had - a mother, but she had never been present in his life.

Lance abruptly cuts himself off as the tears fell from Keith's eyes. "Dude, are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Keith says vehemently as he hastens to wipe his tears.

But the damage has been done. Keith cannot stop the waterworks as Lance just looks at him. Hesitantly, Lance asks, "Do you want a hug?"

Keith wills his tears to stop but to no avail. He shakes his head, but his skin crawls with ache. He has hugged Shiro, but his body craves for more than just one person. It was a primal instinct, one ingrained in human history. He folds his arms into himself, crushing the fabric of his jacket. He shakes his head again.

"No," Keith says hoarsely.

Lance just waits for him. He is patient. His friend has always been patient, or if not, more so than him. Keith hates it. He hates him for it. He has always pushed people away, but Lance had never cared. He had just barged into his life and shot down his walls with retorts and one-sided rivalries and rare affection.

"No." He shakes his head much more. His tears blur his vision. His body screams at him in sorrow and intense longing.

"Keith."

He succumbs. With a muffled sob, he slowly opens his arms and Lance swoops in, enveloping him in his embrace. Keith wraps his arms tighter around his neck as though clinging onto him for dear life. Lance returns it with equal tightness, enough to knock the breath out of his lungs and warmth shooting in his veins.

Lance, thankfully, says nothing as he rubs his back and runs his fingers through dark locks. Keith leans in the touch, his eyelids fluttering. He does not notice Lance stiffen at the implication of his actions.

"You're touch starved, aren't you?" Lance says softly. "Has no one really touched you?"

"Well, there's Shiro." Keith hums as Lance runs his thumbs along his cheeks, wiping away stray tears. "But there's not much hugging going on with all the muscle."

Lance chuckles and tucks Keith in closer once more. He leans back until they hit the mattress. He wonders how long this boy had gone for so long without any sort of affection, verbal and physical. He had so many walls up and seems as though Lance had contributed to that.

He looks down at his friend in his arms and a swell of fierce protectiveness wells up inside. Lance says fondly, "I love you."

Keith abruptly looks at him with wide eyes. Lance feels the heat rush up his cheeks, but he is determined to let Keith know his worth. He says again, a little confidently this time, "I love you. I care about you. We all love and care about you. You're one of my best friends in the entire world - no, the entire universe."

"Lance." Keith shoves his palms on the Cuban boy's mouth. He hisses, "Stop it."

Lance pulls the hands away, meeting little resistance. "I mean it, Keith."

"No, you don't." Keith insists. "You'll say I love you and welcome me, only to leave again. Everyone always leaves. I've always been left behind. I've always been alone. Don't - don't say things you don't mean."

"But I do mean it." Lance sits up and grabs his shoulders. "And if you haven't noticed, I never left you. I'm the one who followed you in the desert, remember? Our scores were almost always tied, Lance and Keith, neck and neck. I've known you since we were twelve back at the Garrison. We're here in space. How could I have left you?"

Keith stares at him, panic in his eyes. Lance leans in and bumps his forehead against his. "I never left. I always have your back. You get that, Keith?"

"Why?" Keith finally asks. "You don't know me. Not until we came to space. And even now, you've always acted as though you hated me."

"I never hated you!" Lance protests. He then adds sheepishly, "Okay, it may look that way, but it's never cause I hated you. I was jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Of you," Lance admits. "You were always so good, so talented, and smart. It seemed so effortless for you. Whereas I had to work my ass off to be close to your level. So, no hating on my part. Just petty rivalry."

Keith's eyes glisten and Lance fears that he will cry again, but Keith just smiles with relief and says, "You annoyed me, but I never hated you."

Lance feels a burden he does not know he has, lift up. He grins. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Lance lays back down and Keith lies down beside him. They've moved away from each other, but their shoulders still touch. After this, Lance has an inkling that Keith might actually be the most affectionate one, with fleeting touches and lingering hugs.

"You're part of my family, you know," Lance says after a while. He thinks Keith has fallen asleep, but a shift from the person beside him says otherwise. "You, me, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Allura, Coran, and the space mice. Despite coming from different backgrounds and races, we're still family. We still love each other. A family doesn't have to be by blood."

Keith stares at the ceiling, letting the words soak in his bones. "But what about your family on Earth?"

"As I said, you're part of my family." Lance smiles at him. "So if you're part of my space family, you're also part of my Earth family. So no take-backsies, you hear me?"

Keith looks at him and returns the display of affection. "Yeah, okay. I'd like that."


End file.
